This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to connectors for electrically interconnecting flat flexible circuitry.
A flat flexible circuit conventionally includes an elongated flat flexible dielectric substrate having laterally spaced strips or conductors on one or both sides thereof. The conductors may be covered with a thin, flexible protective layer on one or both sides of the circuit. If protective layers are used, cutouts are formed therein to expose the underlying conductors at desired contact locations where the conductors are to engage the conductors of a complementary mating connecting device which may be a second flat flexible circuit, a printed circuit board, discrete electrical wires or the terminals of a mating connector.
A wide variety of connectors have been designed over the years for terminating or interconnecting flat flexible circuits with complementary mating connecting devices. Major problems continued to plague such connectors, particularly in the area of cost and reliability. Not only is the direct material costs of such connectors unduly high, but an undue amount of labor time is required in assembling such connectors. These problems have been solved by providing simple, inexpensive and reliable connector structures which do not use conductive terminals, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,039,600 and 6,077,124 which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
The connector structures shown in the above-identified patents and other prior art use various forms of body members about which a flat flexible circuit is wrapped, with the conductors of the circuit facing away from the body member. Typically, the body member is generally flat or planar, and the conductors of the flat flexible circuit are biased into engagement with mating conductors in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the body member. This type of system requires structure which increases the thickness of the body member in order to resist deflection of normal load to effect the perpendicular connection. There is a need for such connectors for flat flexible circuitry which are relatively thin or provide a low profile, and the present invention is directed to satisfying that need and solving the problem of excessive thickness in connectors for flat flexible circuitry.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved connector assembly for flat flexible circuitry.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector assembly is provided for interconnecting first conductors of a flat flexible circuit to a plurality of second conductors without the use of conductive terminals. The assembly includes a male connector having a relatively rigid male body member with an edge about which the flexible circuit is wrapped, with the first conductors of the circuit facing away from the body member at the edge. A female connecting device includes a receptacle for receiving the male connector inserted into the receptacle. Means are provided on the device for positioning the second conductors in engagement with the first conductors of the flexible circuit at the edge of the male body member.
According to one aspect of the invention, the female connecting device comprises an adapter including the receptacle for receiving the male connector inserted edge-first into the receptacle. The adapter includes a second receptacle for receiving the second conductors in position for engaging the first conductors of the flexible circuit at the edge of the male body member.
According to another aspect of the invention, the male body member includes a forward part having the edge about which the flexible circuit is wrapped, and a rearward part latched to the adapter. A spring is disposed between the forward and rearward parts to bias the forward part and, thereby, the first conductors of the flexible circuit against the second conductors.
As disclosed herein, a relatively yieldable backing structure is provided on the male body member at the edge thereof beneath the flexible circuit for resiliently biasing the first conductors of the circuit against the second conductors. The male body member is elongated and the yieldable backing structure comprises a longitudinal resilient strip along the edge of the body member. Positioning means also are provided on the male body member for locating the flexible circuit wrapped about the edge of the body member. In the preferred embodiment, the positioning means comprises an adhesive between the body member and the flexible circuit adhering the flexible circuit thereto.
The invention also contemplates a combination which includes a printed circuit board inserted into the second receptacle of the adapter, with the printed circuit board having the second conductors engageable with the first conductors of the flexible circuit. Another contemplated combination includes the provision of a second flat flexible circuit inserted into the second receptacle of the adapter. The second flexible circuit has the second conductors engageable with the first conductors. A further combination contemplated by the invention includes a plurality of discrete electrical wires inserted into the second receptacle of the adapter. The discrete electrical wires have the second conductors engageable with the first conductors of the flexible circuit.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.